Punting on the Cherwell
About
Punting is Oxford's quintessential summer activity, and the Cherwell is the prettier of the two rivers to punt on (the Thames is wider and busier with boats). The Magdalen Bridge Boathouse hires punts by the hour, and the route upstream through the University Parks and past the college gardens is beautiful — willow trees trailing in the water, college buildings glimpsed through the trees, and kingfishers if you're lucky. The technique is simpler than it looks: stand at the back (the Oxford way — Cambridge do it from the front, the heathens), push the pole down, push the punt forward, trail the pole to steer. You'll be terrible at first and competent within 20 minutes. The Cherwell is shallow and slow, so capsizing is rare but not impossible. The classic punt trip is downstream from The Vicky Arms in Old Marston or upstream from Magdalen Bridge to The Vicky Arms, combining a gentle float with a pub lunch at a gorgeous riverside pub. Book punts in advance on sunny weekends — they sell out. Chauffeured punts are available if you'd rather someone else did the work.
https://www.oxfordpunting.co.uk/ 01865 202643
Tickets & Pricing
Self-hire punt: approximately £25/hour (up to 5 people). Chauffeured from £35pp.
Opening Times
March-October, daily 9:30-dusk (weather permitting).
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